Other thopughts on Piviera Venice Barcelona July

Riviera Venice Barcelona July August 2016.

Firstly THANKS to Stan and Jim for all the helpful answers before our cruise.

Just returned from this cruise and ready to add my 2 pennorth to reviews.

Background

Long time Azamara cruiser but increasingly fed up with cheeseparing on ship dictated by Miami.

15 + cruises with second highest category member benefits.

Have also cruised Celerity both big and smaller ships, Holland America and Disney in the days gone by.

We are both mid 70’s with own hair and teeth and fairly fit.

My wife does Zumba regularly and I walk most days.

We booked this cruise as itinerary was ideal and price competitive.

I will try to sum up in logical order as well as award wins to “O” or “AZ” by category.

Flew from NCL to LHR and had time in lounge for a couple extra bacon sandwiches as plane to Venice was to be an hour late departing. No issues on flight and coach pick up or booking in procedures.

Went to PH1 also looked after by Lokesh as per a previous reviewer.

Cabin and storage space fantastic as we had 5 cases altogether but everything had a place and a hanger.

Bed was fantastic but at $2900 not for home use.

Bathroom with bath as well as separate shower with plenty storage space.

We arranged to change drinks in fridge for low calorie alternatives (as if this would help reduce weight gain)

Afternoon canapés were from a choice of 6 or 8 vs AZ single choice and came on proper trays rather than on a dish covered in cling film

“O” WIN

Terrace cafe dining.

We ate most breakfasts and lunches as well as a few evenings.

What amazed us was the number of people who would come out to look for tables but would not consider sharing.

On AZ it is accepted that you can ask to share if you wish but obviously no compulsion on either side We are always happy to have people join us as it give you a chance to meet other people in a relaxed manner.

San Pellegrino as well as Perrier available FOC.

“AZ “ Win

Food quality

“O” has a far better food selection with their breakfast buffet bakery and croissants being perfect.

In addition they have FRESH fruit i.e. raspberries /blackberries and cherries which change daily as well as usual fare.vs AZ frozen fruits.

Usual omelette station etc

We initially had some confusion re smoothies as they only have these in Waves grill and again only fixed flavours.

After some consultation with 2 servers and 2 maitre d’ s it was arranged to have these made daily as it was alleged that Waves only made smoothies in 3 gallon lots. Initially you had to go to Waves grill for breakfast creels but later n cruise these were also in Terrace cafe.

Service

All food is served by staff from behind glass screens so reducing fingering etc.

Incidentally my wife who worked in Dentistry for 30 years found a half eaten biscuit in Concierge lounge and was told it has merely broken. My wife was more than capable of identifying bite mark of some ignorant guest.

More than adequate number of staff to carry food to your table.

Lunch always included fresh soups as well as meat specials and items like Salmon Wellington.

Also fresh sushi as there appeared to be a fair number of Chinese/Japanese on board.

Desserts were also better than AZ with actual blocks of cheese for choice with at least 5 choices which also changed daily.

How unlike AZ “artisan” triangles.

We also ate there on several nights and again great choices and finish off with proper cheese.

We were entitled to four nights speciality dining and we were able to book 3 more nights.

We were more than happy with Red Ginger although not normally Far Eastern foodies.

Polo grill was equivalent to Prime C and although menu similar their crab cakes were more of a crab pate and the onion soup was not clear and the gruyere cheese was merely a greasy smear on top of the soup with spillages around bowl. Not good

Bring back Prime C but we changed menus for visit 2 and 3 and the steamed lobster and fillet steak main courses were superb .

Toscana and Jaques were good but I cannot even remember what we had.

Dining overall “O” WIN

Entertainment

Cruise director was not a patch on Tony or Eric but each to their own.

I did not care for house singers or other acts but gain each to their own.

Deck party was a joke.

We had 100 people in conga line on a ship of 1300 vs 450+ on Azamara.

The white night on AZ if infinitely better.

Piano bar area was very dour and not too inviting.

The highlight of Saturday night at 9.30 was TRIVIAL PURSUIT !!!

Baristas and library were nice but as Baristas was on a high floor was very underused vs Mosaic.

AZ win.

Sea day.

Plenty loungers and Thallasotherapy pool area was never busy.

Clientele

Mainly American but many other nationalities Australian, New Zealanders, Chinese, Japanese as well as UK.

Issues

Various.

Some minor but others annoying.

Internet (free ) was about as useful as semaphore.

Wine Pricing.

I bought a bottle in Jaques restaurant which would cost duty free $12 at most (bought identical in UK so know retail ) which advertised at $58 but ended up at $83.78 after various charges!!

You could buy a package of 7 wines for $332 but you could not buy them individually or taste them before buying and had to stipulate which ones you had.

Fortunately we chose one and stuck to it.

On our final bill they had added $30 for Spanish VAT even though this was all drunk before then.

Had to go down at 7.00 am to get it taken off and was told “Well you are the first to notice this”

Nice little earner.

Palermo disembarkation.

We were advised by announcement on the day that we had to undergo Italian immigration on ship.

This was arranged for deck 15 with disembarkation on deck 5 with show theatre on that level.

Why it could not have been done there with seating available who knows.

Result we went up at advertised time to a queue of 200 people in Disney type queue between chairs.

Decided not to bother but later tannoyed to go to lounge as ALL passengers had to go through immigration even if they were not getting off the boat.

No previous advice as to this requirement.

Result chaos on lifts as people were going up and down in busy lifts .

Ship was not cleared until after 11.00 so no doubt some tours were shortened.

Marseille.

We were advised shuttle would take 45 minutes and would start at 9.30 and stop from 12 to 1.30 pm so on first shuttle you would have approx. 1.5 hours or minimum of 3 hours in port.

Actuality was 20 mins trip and advised on getting off the coaches that they would run all day.

Marseilles is a surprising nice port with Sunday market and we shopped and took the trolley train around the city.

A very nice place we might well go back to.

Sanitation.

In view of the problems earlier in the year we were amazed at the fact there was no staff at restaurant entrances to ensure that gel was used.

Dispensers were hard to find as they were black on dark walls.

Even in speciality restaurants where time was available there was no staff interaction to encourage use.

Officers Interaction.

Although all hospitality staff were attentive it was disconcerting to pass an officer anywhere on ship and not get at least a “good morning” or some acknowledgment of your existence.

How unlike Azamara.

Dress code.

I understand the concept of smart casual but it was obvious that some did not.

Examples.

Gentleman in Andy Capp type hat with the dirtiest pair of trousers at 9.30 pm in casino.

Another gentleman in sandals black socks with suspenders and shorts in bar.

Equally I am not sure that shorts in the evening casino /bar areas are acceptable after 8.00pm.

On asking staff why no enforcement or at least a quiet word was advised “that is the persons personal style and we cannot interfere”

Sloppiness

In room tv instructions state that internet access is not “guarantied” !!!

Also one poor lecturer was meant to start his lecture at 5.00 AM

In summary an interesting cruise but clientele were very different

Overall although food was better and service good we will continue to prefer Azamara.

Thanks for reading .

Good review.. Thank you.

Good details.... but It seems that trying to view one product when one already likes another nearly the same, seems difficult when it is made into a contest. more of personality and personal likes.

The They did this and They did that....Is that really an objective look at either or emotions based on ones past ? Confusing to read at times...I am still confused about what a "Proper cheese"is or why duty free wine prices should be charged, if I understood correctly.

Hawaiidian.

Thanks for comments.

A "proper" cheese is where you can actually see the cheese to decide how much you want the server to give you.

Azamara used to have a proper cheese trolley in restaurants whereas now you get "artisan" cheese triangular slivers.

I also recognise that lines have to make profit on everything but when a bottle of wine duty free is less than $12 then $58 seems expensive.

When you add a further $20 to bring it to the table I believe they are being ridiculous.

Hawaiidian.

Thanks for comments.

A "proper" cheese is where you can actually see the cheese to decide how much you want the server to give you.

Azamara used to have a proper cheese trolley in restaurants whereas now you get "artisan" cheese triangular slivers.

 

I also recognise that lines have to make profit on everything but when a bottle of wine duty free is less than $12 then $58 seems expensive.

When you add a further $20 to bring it to the table I believe they are being ridiculous.

I don't get the extra $20 to bring it to the table? If you buy it from the ship there is an 18% grat, on $58 that is $11.60. If you bring your own there is a $25 corkage fee. You mentioned the Spanish vat, did they charge that in Jacques? But then you say you got it taken off.

PS, regarding shorts in the evening. There is no restriction in the dress code for what you wear in the evening around the ship, only in the dining venues. Some people believe there should be, it's fine the way it is. That's what the stuffy cruise lines are for.

I agree though about the black socks with sandals and shorts and suspenders. That just comes down to someone with no idea of what's proper, style, or just not caring.

Riviera Venice Barcelona July August 2016.

 

Palermo disembarkation.

We were advised by announcement on the day that we had to undergo Italian immigration on ship.

This was arranged for deck 15 with disembarkation on deck 5 with show theatre on that level.

Why it could not have been done there with seating available who knows.

Result we went up at advertised time to a queue of 200 people in Disney type queue between chairs.

Decided not to bother but later tannoyed to go to lounge as ALL passengers had to go through immigration even if they were not getting off the boat.

No previous advice as to this requirement.

Result chaos on lifts as people were going up and down in busy lifts .

Ship was not cleared until after 11.00 so no doubt some tours were shortened.

 

Thanks for reading .

Interesting post. Something must be going on in Palermo. We were just on the Riviera, Venice to Barcelona, three months ago. We stopped in Palermo. It was just like all the other ports. We got off, we excursioned (?), we got back on, no immigration hassles. Too bad you missed it.

I guess the "fashion police" were not onboard your cruise :eek:

:D

Hi ORV,

All I know is what was on my bill as $83.78.

Wine is $58 and 18% added.

There was also a $10 auto gratuity to sommelier.

As I was dining with other people I did not wish to make a fuss at the time and to be honest forgot about it to check it later.

Hope this helps.

Hi ORV,

All I know is what was on my bill as $83.78.

Wine is $58 and 18% added.

There was also a $10 auto gratuity to sommelier.

As I was dining with other people I did not wish to make a fuss at the time and to be honest forgot about it to check it later.

Hope this helps.

did it say $10 to the sommelier ??

I thought you said the extra was $20 to bring it to the table how does that work if you bought the bottle on the ship ?

not very clear

Hi Procter,

Thanks for the review. We are on Riviera in November so good to get info from a newbie like ourselves.

You mentioned your wife likes Zumba. We're there any classes on board? Is there a charge?

We have a basic wine package, pleased about that when we saw the high price per bottle.

Thanks for any answers.[emoji898]

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Hi Procter,

Thanks for the review. We are on Riviera in November so good to get info from a newbie like ourselves.

You mentioned your wife likes Zumba. We're there any classes on board? Is there a charge?

We have a basic wine package, pleased about that when we saw the high price per bottle.

Thanks for any answers.[emoji898]

 

 

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Are you the same Kristal Blade that went on Adonia round South America and then left at New Orleans to go to Vancouver & went to Kerry's photography classes?? If so welcome to Oceania! And welcome even if not:)

We defected from P&O about 6 years ago and O is now our current favourite, there is a video of the ship here

Can't answer your query about Zumba unfortunately still don't "do" exercise!! I think you may be joining Riviera as we leave in Rome

Hi Jo!

How are you and Albert?

We haven't done another P&O since Adonia. Have been on Celebrity, HAL, NCL, Princess... We just go with a destination we fancy or a good offer. Oceania is a good offer. Lots of OBC, a drink package and new destinations. We are taking in Bermuda and Bahamas, both new to us.

Looking forward to a new ship and new friends!

Thanks for the video,

Libby x

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